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History Extra podcast

The History Extra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts.

Produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine, History Extra is a free history podcast, with episodes released six times a week. Subscribe now for the real stories behind your favourite films, TV shows and period dramas, as well as compelling insights into lesser-known aspects of the past.

We delve into global history stories spanning the ancient world right up to the modern day. You’ll hear deep dives into the lives of famous historical figures like Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn and Winston Churchill, and explorations of intriguing events from the past, such as the Salem witch trials, the battle of Waterloo and D-Day.

Expect fresh takes on history, helping you get to grips with the latest research, as we explore everything from ancient Roman archaeology and Viking mythology to Renaissance royals and Tudor kings and queens.

Our episodes touch on a wide range of historical eras – from the Normans and Saxons to the Stuarts, Victorians and the Regency period. We cover the most popular historical subjects, from the medieval world to the Second World War, but you’ll also hear conversations on lesser-known parts of our past, including black history and women’s history.

Looking at the history behind today’s headlines, we consider the forces that have shaped today’s world, from the imposing empires that dominated continents, to the revolutions that brought them crashing down. We also examine the impact of conflict across the centuries, from the crusades of the Middle Ages and the battles of the ancient Egyptians to World War One, World War Two and the Cold War.

Plus, we uncover the real history behind myths, legends and conspiracy theories, from the medieval murder mystery of the Princes in the Tower, to the assassination of JFK.

Featuring interviews with notable historians including Mary Beard, Tracy Borman, James Holland and Dan Jones, we cover a range of social, political and military history, with the aim to start conversations about some of the most fascinating areas of the past.

Unlock full access to HistoryExtra.com for 6 months for just 99p https://www.historyextra.com/join/

History

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1051

How the Persians were written out of history

Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones reveals how a mighty ancient empire fell foul of a Greek smear campaign

35 min

1052

Shady deals & rigged elections: the changing fa...

Mark Knights discusses how ideas about corruption in the British establishment were transformed between 1600 and 1850

35 min

1053

Plastic surgery: transformed by WW1

Lindsey Fitzharris chronicles the innovations of plastic surgeon Harold Gillies, who worked tirelessly to reconstruct the faces of WW1 soldiers

37 min

1054

Britain’s transformation during the Queen’s lif...

As the Queen celebrates her platinum jubilee, Dominic Sandbrook looks back on how Britain has changed radically during her lifetime

32 min

1055

Empire of blood

Caroline Elkins explains how the British empire was sustained by violence for more than 200 years

45 min

1056

The Black Death | 6. how the pandemic transform...

In the final episode of our series on the Black Death, Professor Mark Bailey and Dr Claire Kennan discuss the medieval pandemic’s dramatic social, political and economic impact. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, they use England as a case study to explore how it restructured society, with effects that were felt for hundreds of years. The primary sources quoted in this series are mainly taken from:The Black Death, translated and edited by Rosemary Horrox (1994) The Black Death, The Great Mortality of 1348-1350: A Brief History with Documents, John Arberth (2005) <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

39 min

1057

Fairy queens & giantesses: pagan goddesses in C...

Ronald Hutton discusses four female pagan deities that loomed large in the medieval imagination

35 min

1058

The birth of insulin: a scientific drama

Kersten Hall uncovers the dramatic story of insulin, from its discovery to its invaluable role in tackling diabetes today

51 min

1059

Dracula at 125: what can a vampire tell us abou...

Marking the 125th anniversary of the publication of Dracula, Roger Luckhurst explores the enduring appeal of Bram Stoker’s vampire thriller

29 min

1060

Witchcraft: everything you wanted to know

Owen Davies answers your top questions about the history of witchcraft – from torture and trials to beliefs about magical powers

42 min

1061

Alice Roberts on unearthing the Romans, Vikings...

Alice Roberts reveals how new scientific techniques can shed light on life in Britain between the first and tenth centuries AD

43 min

1062

The Black Death | 5. death, sin & spirituality

The arrival of a terrifying pandemic made medieval people increasingly preoccupied with death, sin and the afterlife. In this episode, Ellie Cawthorne speaks to Helen Carr about spiritual responses to the Black Death, from special prayers to self-flagellation. The primary sources quoted in this series are mainly taken from:The Black Death, translated and edited by Rosemary Horrox (1994)The Black Death, The Great Mortality of 1348-1350: A Brief History with Documents, John Arberth (2005) <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

31 min

1063

Antony Beevor on the Russian revolution

Military historian Antony Beevor discusses his new book Russia: Revolution and Civil War 1917-1921

41 min

1064

Eliza Acton: Britain’s first modern cookery writer

Annabel Abbs discusses the first modern cookery writer Eliza Acton, the subject of her new novel The Language of Food

34 min

1065

The BBC at 100: change & innovation in 60s Britain

David Hendy explores how the BBC kept up with a changing Britain throughout the 1960s

35 min

1066

WW2’s desert war: everything you wanted to know

Jonathan Fennell answers listener questions on the North African campaign in the Second World War

39 min

1067

Christine de Pizan: from medieval writer to fem...

Charlotte Cooper-Davis details the life and legacy of the prolific medieval author and poet, Christine de Pizan

40 min

1068

The Black Death | 4. medieval medical thinking

How do you fight a disease, when you don’t know what causes it? In this episode, Ellie Cawthorne speaks to Elma Brenner about medieval medical thinking and how it informed responses to the Black Death, from ideas about how bad air and misaligned planets could make you sick, to the rituals and remedies used to treat plague victims and the state of 14th-century hospital care.The primary sources quoted in this series are mainly taken from:The Black Death, translated and edited by Rosemary Horrox (1994)The Black Death, The Great Mortality of 1348-1350: A Brief History with Documents, John Arberth (2005) <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

33 min

1069

A legacy of inequality: the economic impact of ...

Kojo Koram discusses the economic and legal legacies of the British empire – and how they can still be felt today

32 min

1070

Stasi poets: creative writing & the Cold War

Philip Oltermann tells the strange story of the poetry group run by the East German Ministry for State Security

41 min

1071

Cathedrals: from bishops' seats to tourist hots...

Nicholas Orme traces the story of English cathedrals, from their early medieval roots to their role in modern day communities

42 min

1072

The Restoration: everything you wanted to know

Dr Clare Jackson tackles listener questions on the reestablishment of the monarchy in 1660, after 11 years of Republican rule

54 min

1073

HistoryExtra Plus: get early access to our podc...

Enjoying our new Black Death series? Listen to the next three episodes right now on our new subscription podcast channel HistoryExtra Plus, along with early access to our new series on the end of Roman Britain. Follow the link below to sign up now: <a href="https://apple.co/3w0aaXz" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://apple.co/3w0aaXz</a>  <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

0 min

1074

Eurovision: a political history

Dean Vuletic speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about the history of the Eurovision Song Contest – and what it tells us about the changing face of Europe

37 min

1075

The Black Death | 3. living through the plague

What would it have been like to live through a Black Death outbreak? In this episode, Ellie Cawthorne speaks to Professor Samuel Cohn about the experiences of medieval people in communities ravaged by the deadly disease. He reveals what the chroniclers tell us about the range of responses to the crisis in the late 1340s, and the lengths people went to to survive. The primary sources quoted in this series are taken from:The Black Death, translated and edited by Rosemary Horrox (1994) The Black Death, The Great Mortality of 1348-1350: A Brief History with Documents, John Arberth (2005) <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

28 min

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